as in homage
a show of respect or acknowledgement of the authority or importance of another
They made obeisance before the king and queen. She earned herself some political enemies when she failed to make the proper obeisance to those in power.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obeisance
After a decade of seemingly supine obeisance, there is no obvious reason why the military leadership would suddenly rouse itself to oppose Xi.
—
Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025
Visitors who fail to perform the requisite display of obeisance have faced consequences, as in the Feb. 28 blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
—Massimo Calabresi, Time, 24 July 2025
But Zuckerberg isn’t the only one paying abject obeisance to the president.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
In the first case, Obama was accused of showing obeisance to a foreign ruler and Islam.
—Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obeisance
Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025
Visitors who fail to perform the requisite display of obeisance have faced consequences, as in the Feb. 28 blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
—Massimo Calabresi, Time, 24 July 2025
But Zuckerberg isn’t the only one paying abject obeisance to the president.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
In the first case, Obama was accused of showing obeisance to a foreign ruler and Islam.
—Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obeisance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obeisance
Noun
-
The pair was accompanied by another friend and Zuklic’s wife, who was decked out in a nun costume to pay her own homage to the film.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Hometown homage For the draft, Bain outfitted his family in brown suits, a nod to his hometown of Brownsville, located about 6 miles north of Miami.—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Though an unabashedly liberal Democrat, Hart commanded respect from lawmakers of both parties for his intellect, decency and grit.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Her growing respect and affection for Valerie has been one of the season’s bright spots, particularly with Mickey gone.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The federation also cited a photo appearing to show a member of the campus chapter throwing a Heil Hitler salute.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Anyone who has jumped out of a plane with a parachute deserves respect, but to do it 36 times, that’s worthy of a salute.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hunt and his director, Ashley Rodbro, build in some visual variety, whether that means screening one of Hunt’s public access sketches, cringy, or a digression into a lighting design demo, a nod to Hunt’s Illinois State degree in lighting design (and acting).—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There is also a clear nod to art collectors, with expansive walls and a gallery-style entry sequence.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the royal family volunteered during 2023's Big Help Out, Charlotte picked up a bow and arrow to test her aim.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
-
That might as well have been a shot across the bow, in hindsight, because after watching the Wild bow out in the first round of the playoffs once again, Guerin shocked the world in July 2021 by buying out Parise and Suter.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
But Schiller won them over, approaching the site with enthusiasm and reverence.—
Nick Mafi,
Architectural Digest,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The throughline of Kahan’s Vermont is reverence for a place that shaped him.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
-
In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obeisance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obeisance. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
